1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to lubricant additives and compositions thereof and, more particularly, to lubricant compositions comprising oils of lubricating viscosity or greases prepared therefrom containing a minor friction reducing amount of a boric acid salt or a borate ester of hydroxyalkyl alkyl or alkenyl imidazolines.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many means have been employed to reduce overall friction in modern engines, particularly automobile engines. The primary reasons are to reduce engine wear thereby prolonging engine life and to reduce the amount of fuel consumed by the engine thereby reducing the engine's energy requirements or fuel consumption.
Many of the solutions to reducing fuel consumption have been strictly mechanical, as for example, setting the engines for a leaner burn or building smaller cars and smaller engines. However, considerable work has been done with lubricating oils, mineral and synthetic, to enhance their friction properties by modifying them with friction reducing additives.
Imidazolines have found widespread use in lubricating oils as additives for various purposes. However, the corresponding boric acid salts and borate ester derivatives to the best of applicants' knowledge are novel and have not been used as friction reducing additives in lubricant compositions.